Pax River Museum Unveils “Salute to Naval Aviation”

After months of preparations, the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum is pleased to announce the new Scouts of America Showcase. The exhibition will display the various portraits of the Scouts throughout the decades as well as photographs capturing the accomplishments of current scouts. But, the exhibit’s centerpiece is Dan Ropp’s painting “Salute to Naval Aviation.”

The painting depicts a spectrum of youth Scout members looking toward the continuous high achievements of Naval Aviation through their Scouting experience. Accompanying the vibrant youth in the painting are various former Scouts, such as a pilot, an engineer, an enlisted aircraft handler, and the astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was also an Eagle Scout. Above the subjects are the past and ongoing feats of Naval Aviation from early airplanes to human accomplishments in space.

The Scouts of America’s connection to Naval Aviation is not widely known. Still, it is of great importance to the continued innovation we have witnessed over the years and will again see in the future. Many current and past members of the military were, in fact, Scouts. As youths, they were imbued with a sense of service, well-rounded development of skills, and were inspired by both the wonders of nature and technology. It is these core values that help them become great leaders and innovators as adults.

Here at the museum, we hope this exhibit can help show our appreciation of the Scouting organization as well as inspire more of our youth to join such a beneficial program. Volunteer and co-organizer of the exhibition Dan Dickey shares his thoughts, “I think that with Dan Ropp offering the museum a long-term loan of the painting, it can be used to raise funding to support and improve the quality of Scout programs for the local Scouts and provide funding to the museum to sustain their programs.” All proceeds gathered from sales of the reproductions will be donated to Scouts of America as well as the museum.

For more information on how to purchase prints of “Salute to Naval Aviation” please submit an inquiry on our website.

About the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum: The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum (PRNAM) serves as the link between the U.S. Navy’s missions at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Pax River) and the community defined by those missions. The museum sits in an enviable location with an inspiring story perfectly suited to the technological preoccupations of our era. PRNAM is unique in terms of its collections and mission, which are focused on the research, development, test, and evaluation environment as well as experimental concepts that never made it to the Fleet. The museum also houses artifacts and simulators, films, and books spanning the history of Naval Aviation, as well as 26 one-of-a-kind aircraft. Current hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information please visit the museum’s website at www.paxmuseum.org